SMC vs. Adrian

Belles Win First Round Game Over Bulldogs

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's College basketball team won their opening round game of the MIAA Tournament against Adrian College by a 74-60 score on Wednesday night at Angela Athletic Facility.

The Belles came out firing on all cylinders and made eight of their first 12 shots to build a 20-8 lead less than five minutes into the contest. After that point, both teams seemed to settle into the flow of the game, but the Belles kept in control of the rest of the first half by never letting the Bulldogs get within six points of their lead.

In the second half, the Bulldogs forced some Saint Mary's turnovers and got to the free throw line early to get within seven points of the Belles with 17:38 to go in the half. The Belles responded in a big way by outscoring the Bulldogs 21-4 over the next 9:22 of game time to put the contest out of reach.

A big difference for the Belles in the game was the production of the bench and second-chance points. The Belles outscored the Bulldogs 34-13 off of the bench and 17-2 in second-chance points.

The win gives the Belles their 16th victory of the season, which is the most wins in a single season by a Saint Mary's basketball team in the history of the program.

Kelley Murphy accounted for half of the production of the Belles' bench as she scored a game-high 17 points in just 21 minutes of playing time. Erin Newsom picked up her seventh double-double of the season with a 13 point, 10 rebound effort. Patsy Mahoney added 11 points on a 4-of-6 shooting night, which included a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc.

The Belles (16-9) will host Calvin College (16-9) in the second round of the MIAA Tournament on Thursday at Angela Athletic Facility. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.